Lifeboats, camera, action: saving lives at
sea
RNLI announces winners of Photographer of the Year
(2008) competition
The title of RNLI Photographer of the Year
(2008) is being awarded to Hanna Nuuttila, volunteer crew member at
New Quay lifeboat station in mid-Wales. Hanna’s winning image shows
Pwllheli Mersey class all-weather lifeboatwhich came to the aid of the 35-foot sailing yacht,
Galasma, in force nine severe gales, high waves and poor
visibility. The rescue was a long and arduous one for the volunteer
lifeboat crews aboard New Quay and Pwllheli all-weather
lifeboats.
Now in its third year, the RNLI Photographer
of the Year competition was developed to document the rescue work
of the lifesaving charity. Entries to the competition have been
submitted by RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew members and RNLI
lifeguards from around the coast of the UK and Ireland.
A new film-making category was added to the
2008 competition, as part of the RNLI’s initiative to equip
all-weather and inshore lifeboats with cameras that capture
real-time film footage of rescue and training exercises. Barry
Perrins, volunteer lifeboat crew at Plymouth lifeboat station in
Devon has been selected as RNLI Film-maker of the Year (2008) for
his short film about why he gives up his time to volunteer for the
charity.
RNLI Photographer of the Year (2008) Hanna
Nuutilla, volunteer lifeboat crew member at New Quay explains the
rescue story behind her winning picture:
‘My pager bleeped at 11:55am. I ran to the
lifeboat station and New Quay’s all-weather lifeboat launched to
rescue five people on board a yacht, just after midday on 6
September 2008. The yacht, which was about 20 miles north of New
Quay, had experienced total failure of its electronics and engine.
Weather conditions were bad with very rough seas, poor visibility
and severe gale force winds.
‘Having reached the yacht after about an
hour and a half, we took the yacht under tow and made way towards
Aberystwyth, but due to the severe weather conditions and wind
direction the Coxswain decided to tow the yacht north towards
Pwllheli. After almost five hours at sea, Pwllheli lifeboat
launched and the tow of the yacht was handed over to the Pwllheli
crew. We arrived back into New Quay at 5:30pm and Pwllheli lifeboat
and volunteer crew arrived safely back in harbour with the yacht
and her crew at 9:45pm that evening.’
The RNLI Photographer and Film-maker of the
Year (2008) winning images along with four category* prize winners’
photographs will be exhibited on the RNLI’s stand (N15D) at the
London International Boat Show at ExCel exhibition centre from
Friday 9–18 January 2009. The images will give visitors to the show
a unique snapshot into the training and rescue work of RNLI
volunteer lifeboat crew as witnessed by
them.
Commenting on winning the title of RNLI
Photographer of the Year 2008, Hanna Nuuttila says:
‘I’m totally surprised to win the title of
RNLI Photographer of the Year because my fellow crew mates in New
Quay entered the image on my behalf! It’s an honour to be
recognised for the photo, but this award is really to be shared
with all the crew who were out on the shout that day in very
difficult conditions.’
Founded in 1824, the RNLI has a long history
of capturing rescue images of its volunteer lifeboat crews at work,
with the earliest photograph in the RNLI’s archive dating back to
1865. Well over a century later, all RNLI lifeboat stations in the
UK and Ireland are now equipped with digital waterproof cameras.
RNLI Lifeguards across over 100 beaches in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset,
North Norfolk and Pembrokeshire also now have access to digital
cameras to capture rescue and training exercises.
Commenting on winning the new title of RNLI
Film-maker of the Year 2008, Barry Perrin says:
‘It’s great to be the first winner of the RNLI
Film-maker of the Year. I’m delighted to be able to give more
people a chance to see the work that we do and to raise awareness
of why we do it. I hope my film encourages other lifeboat crew
around the country to pick up a camera and document the good work
that the RNLI does as a charity in saving lives at sea.’
Commenting on the RNLI Photographer and
Film-maker of the Year competition, David Brann, Fundraising and
Communication Director for the RNLI says:
‘Appropriate, real-time, high quality digital
images and film footage of the life-saving work of our volunteers
are not only crucial to operations but also in raising public
awareness of the charity that provides a 24-hour lifesaving service
at sea. Photography and film enables us to witness a unique
snapshot into the search and rescue work of our volunteer crews and
lifeguards. I wish to pass on my thanks and congratulations to the
winners, our runners-up and all RNLI volunteers that have taken
part in the 2008 competition.’
John Phillips from Kidderminster, was on
board the yacht at the time the RNLI Photographer of the Year (08)
winning image was taken. John was helping to deliver the yacht for
its owner from Falmouth to Shell Island, near Barmouth, North West
Wales when the gale struck:
‘We’d sailed across the Bristol Channel up the
Welsh coast past St Davids we lost our electrics but had a
hand-held GPS and battery powered hand-held VHF. As the weather was
set to worsen we contacted the Coastguard to let them know of our
whereabouts, they then requested a lifeboat to launch to our aid
because of worsening weather.
‘It was a tremendous relief to see the
lifeboat coming towards us because by this time we’d also lost
engine power due to the rough seas – it was phenomenal! Once
the lifeboat arrived, the adrenalin left me, as I knew we were in
safe hands. We are all extremely grateful to the volunteer lifeboat
crews and it’s amazing to see the rescue captured by Hanna’s
winning photograph. I will be inviting some of the crew from New
Quay and Pwllheli as our guests to our annual RNLI fundraising
dinner dance in Holyhead next August bank holiday as a thank
you.’